Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

अभावः कल्प्यते मूढैर्यदा च शिवयोस्तयोः । क्षेत्रस्यास्य तदाभावः कल्प्यो निर्वाणकारिणः

Transliteration

abhāvaḥ kalpyate mūḍhairyadā ca śivayostayoḥ | kṣetrasyāsya tadābhāvaḥ kalpyo nirvāṇakāriṇaḥ

Translation

Wenn die Verblendeten hier irgendein „Fehlen“ Śivas und seiner Śakti erdichten, dann müssten sie ebenso das Fehlen dieses heiligen Kṣetra erdichten, dessen Wesen Befreiung (Nirvāṇa) schenkt.

Word by Word

• अभावः: absence, non-existence
• अभावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कल्प्यते: is imagined/assumed
• कल्प्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• मूढैः: by fools
• मूढैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• शिवयोः: of the two Śivas (Śiva and Śakti)
• शिवयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), द्विवचन (Dual)

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), द्विवचन (Dual)

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred field (kṣetra)
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• अभावः: absence
• अभावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कल्प्यः: to be imagined/should be assumed
• कल्प्यः: Vidhi/Predicate (to be supposed/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कॢप् (धातु) + य (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/future passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• निर्वाणकारिणः: of the one who causes liberation
• निर्वाणकारिणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक); components: निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Ghaṭodbhava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative vision of Kāśī as an eternal luminous kṣetra: Śiva and Śakti subtly enthroned in the city’s spiritual heart, while deluded figures gesture toward ‘emptiness’ that dissolves before the kṣetra’s radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śakti
• Kāśī (implied)
• Kṣetra (Avimukta, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s liberating power is inseparable from the living presence of Śiva and Śakti; denying them denies the very meaning of the Kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s Avimukta Kṣetra (the liberation-giving sacred field) is being praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse establishes the theological basis for Kāśī’s mokṣa-bestowing sanctity.